"The man in the arena"

THE MAN IN THE ARENA: It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

At 9 PM tonight, the tip off starts for the first game of the 2013 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs. Lebron James, the talk of town, faced the Spurs in the NBA Finals back in 2007 when the he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Spurs swept the series 4 - 0 and the "critics" started feasting on Lebron.

In the 2007 Finals against the Spurs, Lebron scored an average of 22 points/game, had 7 rebounds/game, and averaged 6.8 assists/game.

In the 2012 Finals against Oklahoma, Lebron scored an average of 28.6 points/game, had 10.2 rebounds/game, and averaged 7.4 assists/game.

His improvement came from personal development, meditation and an outrageous amount of commitment, time and sacrifice. Click below to watch a powerful 3-minute video about how Lebron above his circumstances and "Silenced The Critics." He is a VICTOR not a VICTIM!

It doesn't matter how you start, it matters how you finish

It doesn't matter where you are in your life right now. Whether it's business, finances, health, relationships or any critical area, today is the day that you start living the life that you want.

Maybe you're struggling. GOOD! If you weren't having difficulties, that means you're not pushing yourself enough. When you watch how Lebron James responded to his critics, it wasn't with words or empty promises. He spoke through his actions and has earned the respect of everyone now. People listen through their eyes (not ears).

In today's day and age, especially with technology and social media, there seems to be a more public display of criticism than ever before. Prior to TV's, Radio's, Twitter, Facebook and the likes, I suppose it was called "gossip." But today, people not only talk about others behind their back, but they also publicly criticize others for their actions/behaviors/etc.

Lebron James faced major public criticism, but he didn't let it bring him down. Instead, he used this rejection to fuel his fire. Lebron is arguably the best player in the NBA league today, and could be known as one of, if not THE, best player of all time. Because of his commitment and dedication to working on parts of his game that others said were weaknesses, he gets better every year.

The Woman, the Scribes and the Pharisees Were All Caught In The Act

The "let he who is without sin, cast the first stone" incident is one of the most well-known lessons of the Bible. A woman, who had been caught in the act of adultery was brought to Jesus Christ by the scribes and Pharisees as a test to see if the Messiah was a liberal in matters of the Law of God. In response to their deceitful query, He didn't condemn the woman, not because He was a liberal, not because He condoned her sin, but because the men who brought the woman to Him were Hypocrites. He was the only person there that day who was free of sin, the only one who had the right to "cast the first stone." He didn't stone her (or her accusers), but instead forgave her and told her to "sin no more."

So, what can you do to silence the critics?

Make a list of the most important things that you need to do each day

Print off that list and hold yourself accountable to those things every day for the next 100 days

Find an Accountability Partner that you can share this with to help hold you accountable

Put out a reward for yourself at the end of 100 days, and promise that you will give yourself that reward for accomplishing your goals

Also put out a consequence if you don't hit your goal, and STAY TRUE TO THIS!

I hope this was helpful. If so, please click the "Like" button below or leave a comment :)

Thanks again Michael for a great blog. This is a blog that you wrote for me as I needed to silence my critics.

A year ago, a 25 year old woman moved into my building. She has three young children and is single. She quickly became the talk of the neighbors as she dressed skimpily and smoked a lot. She was also very friendly. She had a lot of people who visited her and a few of the neighbors began to spread rumors about her. There was no evidence of their allegations, but, as women of the world do, they spread lies and reported this woman to the office manager.

I was also suspicious of this young lady’s activities and wondered if the rumors were true. One day she asked why people were talking negatively about her and if I had a problem with her. I used this as an opportunity to get to know her and so we talked. I learnt a lot about her and realized that she was someone who was misunderstood. She was young, had lost her way and simply needed guidance. She explained that she had eight brothers who visited her often, so did her mother. They were mistaken to be her boyfriends. The neighbors did not care to get to know her story, but instead assumed that she was entertaining different men during the night and day. They gave her a label that I will not mention here.

After the conversation, I gave my phone numbers to this young lady and invited her to come by any time she wanted to talk. She has taken advantage of the invitation and stops by from time to time. Sometimes she just wants to vent as she is so misunderstood. Some of the neighbors do not like the fact that I speak to this young lady and allow her into my home. I have heard the sarcastic remarks that I am now a “friend” of hers.

Today, this young lady and another argued loudly in the hallway and I reluctantly got involved. I took no sides but yelled at both to quit it and go home. After several minutes of shouting and finger-pointing, they reluctantly went their way. The young lady later came to my apartment and wanted to talk about the altercation.

I know that it is killing my neighbors that I didn’t take sides with the older woman today. My allowing the young lady into my apartment, and then again speaking to her outside as I want to get my mail, did not score me any points.

I have chastised my neighbors for the way they treat this young lady, and explained to them that Jesus was a friend of sinners. I asked them if they were without sin and I reminded them of the things they used to do when they were young. They remain stiff-necked and continue to spread rumors about her.

I do not care what my critics say about me, as I will not discard this young lady and allow her to suffer alone, while they continue to destroy her image.

It is amazing how quickly we condemn people for things that they have done, or what we have judged them to have done. We however, forget that we are no better, and sometimes have done worse.